Dances in Time
by ChasingPerfectionTomorrow
Summary: Jinora has waited her entire life for the opportunity to carve her own path. She'll find it lurking in the ancient and powerful shadows of the great Earthkingdom capital, and in the tormented heart of the one person she can never have. When the Avatar is gone, and a terrifying power surfaces, can hope endure and good overcome?(Jinora/OC) (Update: Mako/Korra fluff, shamless plug!)
1. Chapter 1: Old Lessons New Fears

**Description**: Jinora has waited her entire life for the opportunity to carve her own path, to discover her own destiny outside the confines of the Air Temple where she was born. At the cusp of her eighteenth birthday, as the newly appointed Ambassador for Republic City in the sprawling, exotic city of Ba Sing Se, she'll finally have her chance. She'll find it lurking in the ancient and powerful shadows of the great Earthkingdom capital, and in the tormented heart of the one person she can never have. When the Avatar is gone, and a terrifying power surfaces, can hope endure and good overcome?

**Authors Note:** Don't let the description fool you, there's plenty of Korra and Co. to go around so if you're looking for some cannon continuation you'll find it, but Jinora and her story is my focus. This story is rated for future adult themes (including some smutty goodness most likely). It's been a few years since I have dedicated any time to writing extensive fanficiton so I ask you to bear with me while I get back into the swing of things. I hope someone out there enjoys this and will find it in their kind fanficiton loving hearts to review.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my own over-active imagination.

* * *

_Dances in Time_

**Chapter One: Old Lessons, New Fears**

"I really don't think this is a good idea."

Jinora immediately opened her mouth to say few choice –not entirely _kind_- words to her father but Korra quickly reached out and placed a firm hand on the young Airbender's shoulder to silence her. Jinora bit down on her bottom lip, hard, fighting to contain her irritation.

"Tenzin we both know you can't keep traveling back and forth between Republic City and Ba Sing Se," Korra said seriously in her I'm-the-Avatar-listen-to me- voice, her face stern and blue eyes steely, "We could really use a permanent Ambassador from the City present at court, with the Prince taking on most of the day-to-day responsibilities of the throne. Jinora is well read, well-educated, gifted, well-mannered and not to mention one of the only living Airbenders in the world. You should trust my judgment."

Jinora cringed a bit as a myriad of emotions swept across her father's aging face as he sat slumped behind his age worn desk across from them. Indignation, anger, worry, sadness, and finally resignation bloomed as he pressed a hand to his forehead and took a deep breath. Jinora's heart was suddenly beating wildly in her chest and her palms grew sweaty with anticipation; the tiny bubble of hope that she'd nurtured carefully over the past few weeks since Korra had originally proposed the idea, had swelled in her belly until it filled her almost entirely. Jinora had never wanted anything more, never _yearned_ for anything more. There were so many reasons she wanted to go to Ba Sing Se it was almost overwhelming; the massive city, the diverse people, the sights, the royal court, helping the Avatar, the immense and ancient libraries… but most of all, some _freedom_.

For once in her life she wanted to feel like she had some control over her own life, her own destiny, the thought of spending the rest of her life on the tiny island terrified her more than anything else ever had. She'd read about the world, poured over old maps, listened to her father's and Korra's stories but she'd never seen or done anything for herself. Her Grandfather's blood burned too brightly in her, Jinora's mother had always said, the late Avatar's sense of adventure and discovery became more and more prominent the older she grew.

The thing about being one of the five remaining Airbenders in the entire world was that people were rather… protective; like they were an endangered species of animal (which she supposed they sort of were). She'd been about thirteen when she realized how cautious the rest of the world was with her and her family, how vigilantly they planned to monitor their blood line through the proceeding decades. How many little Airbender's they hoped she and her siblings would… _produce_. It had been a terrifying and infuriating realization; the White Lotus –not only charged with finding, training and protecting the Avatar- had taken the preservation of her family (and their Airbending) very, _very_ seriously. Much of her life was pre-planned; including what sort of man would be appropriate for her to _mate _with.

Jinora hated to think her life could mean nothing more than wasting away like a captured princess in a tower on the lonely isolated island forever simply waiting for the right 'Prince' to be chosen for her. Ever since Korra and her husband had moved to Republic City permanently the temple had been unbearably quiet and lonesome. And now she finally had a chance to get away; her eyes watered alarmingly in desperation. She couldn't cry, she _wouldn't_ cry.

"She's seventeen, almost eighteen years old Tenzin, an adult by most standards, and we need her help, _I_-your Avatar- need her help." Korra said with great emotion and determination, the warm hand on Jinora's shoulder squeezed gently in reassurance. Jinora's heart leapt and she glanced at the Avatar's unyielding face in fervent appreciation; Korra's eyes were focused austerely on her father and she didn't look away, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Jinora's father was silent for several long moments in which Jinora thought she might scream with anxiety; his face concealed by his hands which were now clasped tightly together, his forehead resting on them for support. His bald head gleamed in the early morning sunlight, the blue arrow tattoo vivid and brighter than it had appeared previously. Tenzin raised his head at last, looking disturbingly older than he had when she and Korra had first walked inside his study just a few moments ago –though to Jinora it felt like a life time. A seed of toxic doubt planted itself in her heart; guilt washed through her, and partially extinguished the warm sun of happiness that had been growing steadily in her chest. Could she really do this to her father?

"Perhaps…" he began slowly, in his serious and careful voice, "It is time she went out into the world. She's incredibly close to becoming a Master Airbender, but she and I both know she has hit a road block recently, one we have been unable to surmount these past months…perhaps this transition will be good for her." Tenzin said at last with great trepidation and weariness. He looked up to Korra with a look of rueful remembrance which Korra returned unrepentantly; her father's intense and often unyielding teachings of _patience_ and _meditation_ didn't always work for everything… or everyone.

Jinora leapt from her chair and cheered before she could think better of it; robes twirling and a soft blast of air rustling the papers on her father's desk –which were all carefully anchored by many colorful paperweights (most of which had been made by his children) after years spent with unpredictable Airbending pupils. Jinora launched herself at Korra, squeezed her as hard as she could, the older woman grunting with a throaty chuckle of surprise and patting the ecstatic young woman on the back before briefly returning the embrace.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jinora screeched (doing a very good impression of her younger sister), vaguely aware she wasn't acting at all like the adult Korra had just claimed she was, but couldn't bring herself to care. At last she had a purpose, a light at the end of the dark tunnel she felt her life had become! She could finally get away and carve her _own_ path in life. With a ringing laugh of uninhibited joy, all her misgivings momentarily washed away, she propelled herself across her father's desk and gripped him in a tight hug as well. He only had a moment to tentatively pat her back before she pulled away and went racing across the area to throw open the sliding door, another gust of air rattling through room. Korra righted her disheveled hair with an indulgent look in her eyes, a warm, nurturing smile on her pretty face.

Tenzin stood, looking rather panicked, reaching a seeking (rather desperate) hand out in the direction of his whirlwind daughter like she might take off for the Earthkingdom capital at that precise moment, "Jinora! Wait! We have many things to discus-"

"I have to tell mom!" Jinora yelled back as she flew down the hall without another word, her Airbending adding extra speed as she went in pursuit of her mother, joyous laughter trailing behind her like leaves in the wind.

Tenzin sighed in defeat, sinking back into his chair with a groan and glared at a smirking Korra, "This is entirely your fault you know."

The twenty-five year old Avatar looked affronted, crossing her muscled arms over her chest and raising a brow, "What is? I meant what I said, I need her."

"No, I mean her irreverent behavior!" Tenzin admonished with an agitated flutter of his hands, the air in the room seemed charged, disrupted by Tenzin's unusually erratic demeanor.

"Oh yeah, I take full and proud responsibility for _that_."

* * *

Jinora had fully intended to locate her mother and tell her the news –Pema had never been a supporter of her father's overwhelming need to keep his children under lock and key and would be thrilled Korra had finally managed to convince him to let her take the position- but the need to be alone and fully appreciate her victorious joy was too strong to ignore. For possibly the first time in her life she felt wild and untamed, like a languorous tiger-monkey released from its cage.

She grabbed her glider staff on her way out of the living quarters -thanking the Spirits she'd managed to avoid her nosey, _noisy_, sister- and immediately took off into the sky with an uncharacteristic yelp of joy. She caught and manipulated the currents with a practiced and well-defined ease, enjoying the feeling of the wind in her hair with renewed reverence, recalling the first time she'd been able to successfully fly her glider.

She'd been six; she'd been practicing the ability safely on the steps of the temple for weeks and had little progress when her father had finally taken her to the very top of the temple to 'have a talk with her'. She's been disheartened and sad that she hadn't been able to master the simple skill, and had dragged her feet the entire way. Her father had merely smiled at her lovingly, his eyes full of understanding and pride, and had lifted her to stand on the wide windowsill so that she was level with his face. She'd gripped her father a little fearfully –she'd been flying on Oogi, her father's flying bison, many times, but somehow this felt different. Her father's wide stable hands had steadied her as he spoke; he had always made her feel so safe.

"Sometimes it's good to be careful and afraid my Jinora; fear often keeps us from making rash and potentially hurtful decisions. But you mustn't let your fear of the unknown keep you from trying, from succeeding. You are like a baby bird ready to fly from your nest for the first time; you just need to find your courage, take that first great leap, and have faith that your wings will catch you. Do you understand?"

Jinora had felt a strange new excitement build in her then, "I think so father," she'd said in a small voice as she gripped the glider staff her father had handed to her with new purpose, his steady hands releasing her slowly till she stood alone on the precipice of the world.

"Now hold your breath, and let it out slowly. Find your center, find your calm, find that part of yourself that knows the currents of the air at an elemental, _natural_ level, just like I taught you, and take your great leap."

She'd closed her eyes, "But father… I'm afraid."

"I know little one, but if you fall, I will catch you."

"Promise?"

"I'll always catch you Jinora, always."

And then she'd taken that great leap of faith and felt, for a moment, what freedom might be like.

* * *

Returning to the present Jinora found herself at that same window ten and a half years later in the same cool, deserted stair well, perched carefully on her heels like a bird alighting on a branch. Nothing about the building or the surrounding landscape had changed in all that time; a fact that had once seemed dreary and disheartening but from which she now drew comfort. She wasn't surprised to find tears dried on her face and her pervious exuberant joy had diminished to an all too familiar fear that nibbled at the edges of her resolve. It was fear of the unknown; the time had come for her next great leap, it was time to find her wings. But her father wasn't going to be there this time, with his steady hands, soothing voice full of ancient wisdom, and if she fell she didn't think anyone would be there to catch her. Jinora wiped her eyes furiously, sniffling and feeling childish. Was this any way for the new Ambassador of Ba Sing Se to act?

Her hair, which she kept carefully braided and secured in a bun atop her head, was loosening in all the excitement and she tucked a few lose chestnut strands behind her ears. Her deep brown eyes were glimmering with unshed tears as she called on that elemental and natural inner strength her father had shown her how to find for as long as she could remember.

Her father was growing old, nearing seventy at an alarming pace. He'd always seemed so ageless when she'd been a little girl, like he would always be there, a rock, or maybe like the temple itself. But if her historical readings had taught her anything, they had taught her that everything changes, that nothing is ever certain. Her grandfather, the late Avatar, had returned to the world after a hundred year sleep to find everything –and everyone- he had ever loved was gone and the world an entirely different place. She didn't want to underappreciate what she had, or the people she loved, but she knew she couldn't stay at the Air Temple forever. There was something out there, something that needed her to help it on; a destiny, a purpose that called to her, that rang through her blood like a hurricane and it would not be ignored. It wouldn't allow her remain and have her life planned out for her detail by tiny detail. She couldn't fight the need for flight any more than she could fight her father aging or the passing of time. It was as inevitable as the coming of the tide and the phases of the moon.

_I'll always catch you Jinora, always. _Her father's voice seemed to echo on the early autumn breeze, and it sounded like a farewell. It was time to have faith the wind would catch her and her wings would find their way.

* * *

The preparations for their departure began almost immediately after the decision had finally been made in a whirlwind of loud voices and heated temperaments.

They should travel by _this_ road or path or in _this_ direction. They should take _two_ flying bison. They should observe all _these_ destinations and sights. Of _course_ they had to pack every single one of Jinora's coats, night gowns, and stuffed animals (this last part only insisted on by a tearful and somewhat irrational Pema). To Jinora the time before they departed for their long journey seemed excruciating and was only tempered by her dread of saying goodbye; she avoided her father, afraid if she looked him in the eye she'd lose all her tentative resolve.

"Tenzin we will have to stop at some point; Mabui can't make the trip in one straight shot." Korra said testily one night after joining them for dinner, toying absently with a fireball that illuminated the faces of her co-conspirators (at least that's how Jinora viewed them).

Tenzin sighed in exasperation, the adults –Korra, Pema, Bolin and Tenzin- were all reclining on the porch outside the kitchen. Jinora was eavesdropping from her perch in a shrouded, nearby tree, breathing carefully so no one would sense her presence. Her father was annoying good at knowing when he was being spied upon.

"I realize that Korra but Warsu isn't the sort of town I want Jinora running wild in. They have a severe crime problem between warring gangs at the moment and I don't want her to get mixed up in-"

Her father was interrupted by Korra's barely muffled laughter and Bolin's snort of incredulity. Tenzin glared at both of them hotly, hands on his hips like a nagging fish wife. Jinora covered her mouth with a hand, willing the giggle in her throat away.

"Oh come on Master Tenzin; Jinora doesn't run _wild_ anywhere. She's too much like… like _you_!"Bolin said with a barking laugh, which Korra echoed and even Pema covered her mouth to hide a smile. Jinora bristled, laughter gone, and ground her teeth. She was _not_ like her father… Was she?

Tenzin glared, "I will assume you meant that as a compliment. In any event, I would suggest you stop in the small village of Baarshut instead." He said matter-of-factly, folding his arms across his chest; obviously believing the matter settled.

Bolin threw up his arms in dramatized frustration, "Do you know how _boring_ Barrshut is? They don't even have a real market! And the inn there is _awful._ Besides Warsu has this amaaaaaaaazing bar, restaurant place where they have live Bending matches and-"

Korra shoved him hard and Bolin went flying with an 'oof'.

"What Bolin _meant_ to say is; Jinora will be perfectly safe where ever we go. She's with the Avatar after all." She winked at Tenzin, who merely huffed in annoyance as Korra went to collect Bolin so they could head back to the mainland. The discussion was apparently over for the night.

Jinora waited a few more moments for her disgruntled parents (well her father was disgruntled her mother appeared to be merely sympathetic and attempting not to seem amused) to head inside once more before emerging from her hiding spot in a light puff of air, feeling irritated and disgruntled.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not polite to eavesdrop?"

Jinora yelp in surprise, feeling instantly like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar and turned in a whirl that sent Korra's hair awry. The Avatar's face was hard and her arms crossed accusingly, one foot tapped on the cold stone courtyard as she waited for an adequate response.

"Korra! I thought you left… I was just… I wasn't…" Jinora trailed off bashfully, cheeks warming in embarrassment. She considered trying to escape for a moment and then remembered who she was talking about. Escape Korra? Fat chance.

Korra glared her down a moment longer, just long enough to make Jinora feel about two inches tall, before breaking into a good-humored smile, laughing slightly, and Jinora felt her unease disappear instantly.

"Just don't let your father catch you; I can't protect you from the great and terrible wrath of 'Mater Tenzin'." Korra winked at the young woman who instantly bristled.

"I wish he'd stop treating me like a _child_. I'm about to be Republic City's Ambassador to Ba Sing Se and he doesn't think I can handle being part of a little discussion about travel arrangements?!" Jinora practically yelled, huffing in agitation, her exasperation causing the trees to sway and the leaves to scattered wildly around them. She realized belatedly that she was whining –not a very mature thing to do- but she couldn't help it, she wanted so badly to feel like she was actually a _part _of her own life.

Korra glanced at the disturbed leaves and trees, smiled, than looked out toward the moon for a moment before speaking. Her voice had taken on a different tone, more serious, sort of… melancholy. "Do you remember when I first came here? And your father tried to keep me under lock and key all the time?"

Jinora sighed, wilting, "Yes, and you didn't listen to him and snuck out all the time anyway. I wish I _could_ get away with stuff like that." She looked wistfully toward the mountains they would be flying over in just a few days.

The Avatar smiled rather sadly, still looking to the sky, the half-moon illuminating her huge aqua eyes radiantly –it reminded Jinora of how they looked when she was in the Avatar state and she shivered slightly. "Maybe," Korra continued slowly, "But there were many times I should have followed your father's advice; there were some pretty dangerous situations I got myself, and my friends, into that I didn't have to if I had just listened to him."

Jinora gapped at her in astonishment –Korra had always been her biggest 'don't always follow the rules' supporter. Korra glanced at her expression and laughed outright.

"Don't you dare tell him I said that, or I'll go all Avatar wrath on you." Jinora rolled her eyes at the threat and Korra smirked before sobering again. She reached out and took Jinora gently by each shoulder, forcing Jinora to meet her penetrating gaze dead on, and the younger woman could feel her cheeks coloring as she lost herself in their watery depths. "All I'm trying to say is that your father is a very wise man, the wisest I have ever known, don't discount all his advice and teachings. And don't underestimate how much he loves and cares about you; he just wants what's best for you."

Jinora stepped out of the touch as if she'd been burned, long time agitation and frustration surfacing and she said bitterly, "He wants to keep me in a cage, safe and protected but never doing or seeing anything for myself."

Korra sighed sadly, lowering her arms, and shook her head ruefully, "Maybe kiddo, maybe. But there are things out there that aren't worth seeing and doing. Things that can get you killed, or worse, if you're not careful."

The Avatar smiled again – this one full of cheer and encouragement and patted her gently on the back before hurrying down the great stair way to the small dock below, probably anxious to get home to her husband. She left a frowning young Airbender behind to wonder just what could be worse than death.

_A cage_. Her heart admonished quietly and she turned to head inside, the air outside seeming to have grown colder in a matter of seconds, her emotions erratic and confusing.

* * *

Preparations continued and Jinora refrained from any further eavesdropping, busying herself with last-minute preparations and spending quality time with her siblings. Plans were just about final; Korra and her new husband would be staying with her for an undetermined amount of time in the great Earthkingdom capital. Both to aid the new Prince Regent in his affairs and to insure Jinora acclimated comfortably and smoothly to her new surroundings and important political position.

The city would be very different from what she was used to, her father –and just about everyone else- had warned her…repeatedly. Excitement and trepidation warred almost constantly within her; for all her big talk the island had been the only home she'd ever known and as anxious as she was to leave it she also had this insane desire to pack it all up and take it with her.

The night before they were set to leave, Jinora lay wide awake in the bedroom she shared with her fourteen year old sister Ikki –whom had recently been insisting, obnoxiously, that everyone call her Ikki-_ra_ because Ikki was just 'too childish'. Ikki(ra) was snoring softly, having just finally fallen asleep an hour ago after an endless stream of worries, advice and random Earthkingdom facts that may or may not have been true (_not_ probably being the correct assumption there), allowing Jinora to be alone at last for probably the first moment since they'd broke the news to everyone. She turned in her bed, not sleepy in the slightest, letting the sheets fall away and quietly opened the window shutters. The nearly full moon bathed her in silver light which felt strangely warm on her skin despite the telling chill in the air. Jinora was reminded briefly of her heritage; she may be an Airbender but through her grandmother, Katara, she had a genetic connection to the moon which she felt strongly at times, especially when the moon was full –or near enough to it.

The thought was comforting and helped to banish some of her darker fears that had closed in on her with the coming of the night. The night itself was clear and the stars were many, despite the brightness of the moon, they shown unmistakably. She closed her eyes, hands braced on the window sill, a breeze tossing her plain sleeping garments that covered her from throat to ankle, and her lose hair, which fell past her waist, fanned about her like a dark cloak. She breathed in the scent of the ocean deeply, committing it to memory –Ba Sing Se was land locked and she had a feeling she would miss the ocean more than she could currently imagine. She'd been born on this island, with the ocean so near; it had always been her constant lullaby.

She groaned aloud and opened her eyes. She really needed to get over all this angsty nostalgia, she was finally being granted the greatest wish of her entire life and she was already acting like a homesick baby. Of _course_ she was going to miss her home and her family, but she just needed to focus on all the new and wonderful things she would finally be able to see and do for herself. No more reading about other's adventures in the safety of a book, but she would finally be getting out there and making a difference in the world!

She grinned broadly into the night as the trees swayed, her excitement beating out the lingering uncertainty at last. Her life was about the take a turn of the spectacular! She just knew it.

* * *

Deep underground, a muscled man stood naked at the edge of a great underground reservoir. The water was as clear and unmoving as glass and reflected the wondrous ceiling above like a mirror. The cave was lit from above by multi colored crystals; red, green, blue and white that seemed to pulsate and whisper. They illuminated the man's features but his face seemed to shift away from the light in an unsettling dance of shadows and menace. The man stretched languorously before launching himself into the smooth waters with a perfectly executed dive. He didn't surface for many long breaths, before finally coming up for air and paddling with strong practiced strokes to a tiny island at the centre of the lake.

With minimal splashing or struggling he reached the island in otherwise utter silence and pulled himself atop the sharp rocks, following a ragged set of stairs that had obviously been carved a very, very long time ago. The man didn't bother to push his dripping blonde hair –turned a dark burnished gold by the weight of the water- out of his face as he climbed.

At the top of the tiny stone tower was a statue of a naked woman carved out of the same black stone the rest of the cavern was. She was crude in her shaping; plump breasts, belly and buttocks protruding. The man's shifting face finally settled as he focused on what hung delicately between the statue's enormous breasts. His features were final chiseled with a strong jaw and brow; his eyes were a deep red, the exact color of freshly spilt blood. He snarled, it echoed chillingly through the cavern, and closed the tiny distance between the statue and himself. Reaching out shaking fingers, hardly breathing, his fingers clasped gently around a jagged crystal set in a rudimentary leather thong. The crystal pulsed brightly, shifting from red to blue to white and green. The crystal hummed at his touch, the vast field of crystals above chiming in until the whole cavern was almost bursting with the sound.

"At last. At last" The man muttered as he pulled the necklace off the statue and the crystals quieted, the only sound the man's excited breathing.

"At last" he said again as he settled the leather over his head and against his chest. He shuddered in pleasure, his body trembling.

"AT LAST!"He screamed to no one and nothing at all.

* * *

Who is Korra married to?!

Will Jinora find her place in Ba Sing Se?!

Whos' this Earthkingdom Prince and where do his alligences lie (and most importantly, is he hot jk jk)?!

Why was that weird red-eyed man naked?!

If anyone at all enjoyed this than stay tuned and all shall be revealed.. eventually!

Peace, kisses and lots of fanfiction

xoxoxox

B


	2. Chapter 2: The Real World

**A/N: **Picking up plot speed as we make our way to Ba Sing Se. Enjoy the little Mako/Korra fluffiness. They make me happy. I hope people enjoy my rendition of Jinora; give her some time, she's still new to the outside world… she will grow up fast.

**Disclaimer:**I own no-fing. Er, nothing.

* * *

**Chapter Two: The Real World**

"Here, I want you to have this."

Jinora fought down a powerful wave of emotion as she tentatively took the gift her mother offered her. It was a simple necklace made of bone and sea-shells with the symbol for air carved carefully into each smooth bead. Her mother had worn it every day of her life; her father had given it to her the day Jinora was born.

"I can't accept thi-" Jinora began but her mother interrupted with a no-nonsense sort of hug that wrapped her in the kind of comfort only a mother could provide. They were sitting alone in her bedroom as the sun rose slowly over the mountains in the east, hailing the hour of her departure. Jinora had waited for this day her entire life and now that it was here she was overwhelmed at the thought of leaving her family behind. Suddenly the world seemed a vast and unfriendly place.

"It's always been yours to have Jinora," her mother was saying softly against her ear, "and I think it's time you had it. It will help you remember where you come from; who you are. The world is a big place and it's easy to forget sometimes."Her mother pulled away, tears glittering in her brown eyes – the same color as Jinora's- and slipped the necklace over her daughters head. Jinora touched the gift at her throat with reverence, fighting back her own tears.

"I'm going to miss you Mother," Jinora admitted quietly, a single tear escaping to slip between her thick lashes. Her mother smiled sweetly and swept the tear away with the soft sleeve of her robe.

"I'm going to miss you too. But I am so proud of you and I think you leaving is the right decision," her mother said seriously, and Jinora smiled tearfully in response. Her mother's hair was only just beginning to gray (Pema blamed each and every strand on Meelo) and there were tiny laugh lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth. To Jinora her mother would always be the most beautiful person in the entire world.

"You know good-byes are only so hard because it teaches us to appreciate the things we have," Pema anointed and Jinora wasn't sure who the statement was meant to comfort as her mother mopped at her own eyes.

"You sound like dad," Jinora accused teasingly.

"After nineteen years of marriage it was bound to happen at some point. Besides your father has this horrible habit of being right a lot of the time." Pema pulled a face then smiled.

"Yeah… Korra told me something similar." Jinora admitted picking at the loose threads of her bed sheets. "She also threatened to smite me with her Avatar powers if I ever told him."

Pema laughed, "Well if Korra is willing to admit it then it must be true; she's not the kind of girl to admit she's wrong."

"Why do I feel like this conversation is about me?" Tenzin suddenly asked from the door way, startling his wife and daughter. They both looked at him like convicted criminals.

Pema smiled sweetly at her husband, "It's not like you to be so egotistical Tenzin; we were having a _girl _talk."

Tenzin raised a disbelieving brow and they all stared at one another for a few awkward moments before Pema stood with a very transparent cough. "Well I think I'll go help the others get Mabui and Benni saddled and packed," Pema said, rising to kiss her husband warmly before sweeping out of the room.

Tenzin and his eldest daughter regarded each other silently for a long moment. The longer she looked at him, the harder it became to say goodbye, though the words danced on her tongue, desperate to be said. None of this would be real until she told him good-bye, no matter how much she didn't want to. There was such love, pride and sadness in his eyes that before she knew it Jinora was across the room and in his arms. Her father had never been one for physical affection –neither was she to be honest- but his arms closed around her instantly and completely. Where her mother's hug had been one of comfort and warmth, hugging her father was like holding everything that was _home._ The tears she'd been able to restrain with her mother erupted instantly and she sobbed powerlessly into her father's robes as he patted her back soothingly.

"I-I don't want t-to leave you Dad," she cried brokenly, sounding like the little girl she suddenly felt like, not the grown woman she was supposed to be.

"Shh now Jinora, it will be alright," Tenzin murmured and drew back to examine her critically, holding her gently by her shoulders, his own eyes glistening tellingly. "You are strong and you are brave. I wish your grandfather could have met you Jinora, could see the talented woman you have become, he always knew what to say in moments like this. He would have been so proud of you, just like _I'm_ proud of you. I didn't want to let you go because I couldn't bear to acknowledge that you had grown up, when I look at you all I see is my sweet little girl."

"Dad-" Jinora started, fresh tears welling in her eyes and blinding her momentarily until they fell unabashedly down her cheeks.

"I need to say this Jinora." He interrupted, "I don't want you to think that you can't do this; I _know _you can. Since the first moment you and Korra brought the matter to me I knew this was the work you were meant to do. I was just afraid, afraid to let you go, will you forgive me Jinora?" His voice was strained and his grip on her shoulders tightened.

Jinora hugged him tightly, sobbing and laughing all at once, "Of course Dad, I love you so much." All her pent-up frustrations and anger with him that had developed over the past few weeks dissolved like dust in the wind.

"I love you too Jinora. I'll always be here for you; this will always be your home."

And just like that her father alleviated her deepest fear; that she was losing her home. But he was right, no matter where she went her home would always be here, at the temple where she had been born, where the last vestige of her grandfather's people resided.

They held each other a little longer before her father pulled away at last, and Jinora whipped at her eyes sheepishly. They both stood awkwardly for a moment before her father drew something out of his robes and held it out to her. It was a book, obviously newly bound in supple brown leather and etched with the Airbending symbol in gold. She took it from her father slowly and opened the first page to find the words 'The Adventures of Jinora, the Airbender' printed there. She touched the indent of the carefully written words with a mixture of emotions; it was wonderful.

"So you can account for your journeys and accomplishments." Her father said quietly and Jinora looked up at him in grateful amazement.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." It was perfect, and Jinora hugged it to her chest for a moment, bursting with emotion.

"Come on you two! It's time to go!" Meelo poked his bald head through the door, looking agitated. Jinora sighed and her father offered her an encouraging smile. They stepped into the main temple courtyard and were immediately bombarded with noise.

Korra and Bolin were shouting at one another; Bolin perched on Mabui's wide back as he attempted to follow Korra's ever-changing commands as to where everyone's luggage should be situated. Her mother was helping Mako tighten the straps on Benni's saddle, talking quietly and smiling. Benni was Meelo's sky bison, and her younger brother had been kind enough to let them borrow him for the trip –more like forced by their father actually. Air Acolytes were scurrying to and fro helping with last-minute requests and preparations; no one noticed Jinora and Tenzin until Rohan, her youngest brother, turned and spotted them.

"Jinora! Don't leave!" Rohan cried instantly, launching himself at her. Since the moment he'd been born Rohan had idolized and hero worshiped his eldest sister; he'd taken the news of her departure particularly hard.

Jinora patted his stubbly head as he latched himself around her waist, burying his head in her stomach. At seven years old he stood just above her hips, with wide blue-gray eyes just like the rest of her siblings. He was sweet and even tempered the total opposite of Meelo – he seemed to take after his father and was far more serious than most boys his age.

"Don't be such a baby," Ikki reprimanded snottily, hands on her slight hips. Jinora glowered at her. At fifteen years old Ikki was very pretty (and she knew it) and incredibly obnoxious.

"Don't be mean Ikki," Jinora shot back, lifting her little brother into her arms affectionately for a tight hug. His warm body wrapped around hers like he was trying to mold himself to her she could feel his tears seeping through her traveling cloak.

"Ikki-_ra._" Her sister corrected primly, tossing her shining black mane of hair over one shoulder in an act that irritated Jinora endlessly. Ikki put far too much importance into appearances, especially her own; it went against the monks teachings and the way they'd been raised. Jinora wondered what Ikki would do when it was time to shave her carefully maintained hair to receive her Airbending tattoos.

Ignoring her sister she set Rohan down who was sniffing pathetically and rubbing at his reddened eyes, "I'll write you all the time Rohan, I'll draw you pictures of all the buildings and people and the animals in the Earth King's zoo. How does that sound?"

Rohan's lower lip trembled and fresh tears welled, "I don't want pictures and letters, I want you 'Nora!"

Jinora felt her own eyes burn and smiled her best 'big sister' smile, "I want to stay with you too but I have to help the Avatar, you know how important that is right?"

Rohan nodded gently, gathering all his little boy strength, "The Avatar is the keeper of balance, it is our duty as benders to support the Avatar whenever possible," he anointed with practiced recitation.

Jinora beamed at him with pride, "That's right Ro, and because the last Avatar was our Grandfather don't you think that means we should be _extra_ helpful?"

Rohan's eyes widened, "You're right! Because even though Grandpa is dead Korra is _kinda_ like him because he was her past life, right?"

Ikki was rolling her eyes in boredom and tapping her foot impatiently but Jinora continued to ignore her, "You're very wise Ro, smartest little boy I know." She rubbed his bald head playfully and his face broke out into its usual bright smile. He leaned forward and kissed his beloved sister on her cheek.

"Grandfather would be proud of you for helping the Avatar and being so brave to leave your family and everything, 'Nora," her brother said with the kind of sincerity only children could produce. Jinora was so touched she hugged him tightly and kissed his warm head.

"Come on Jinora, it's time to go," Pema said gently, her eyes bright with affection and love. Jinora handed her little brother over, who only smiled and waved at her now from his mother's arms.

"Wait Jinora! I made something for you!" Ikki cried, rushing toward her and put something into her hand. It was a beautifully crafted blue glass vial filled with some foreign liquid. Jinora looked up at Ikki questioningly.

"It's perfume! I made it from lilies and vanilla, your favorite." Jinora was stunned for a moment at her thoughtfulness then embraced her sister in a tight hug. She and her sister had always been so different, and they had never got along terribly well –especially over the last few years- but they were sisters.

"I love you," she said and Ikki hugged her back firmly.

"Don't just stay inside all day reading 'Nora, make sure you go _outside_ once and awhile. Talk to people too, and meet a boy!" Ikki rambled and Jinora laughed, kissing her sisters cheek and moved to join Korra, Mako and Bolin as they said their goodbyes.

"Now Korra, remember to telephone me the moment you arrive at the Inn in Warsu," Tenzin was saying seriously as Korra rolled her eyes and reached out to put a strong around Jinora's shoulders, knocking the slight girl off balance.

"Alright, alright Tenzin, don't worry so much. Who better to look out for your kid than the Avatar, huh? She'll be perfectly safe with us and I'll make sure to keep you well-informed of our travels."

Tenzin glowered at her unconvinced, Mako intervened, "I already called ahead to the Inn Tenzin and they've got everything set up for us, I've made sure we aren't just running off blindly, don't worry."

Jinora smiled as her father looked moderately pacified –Tenzin had always considered Mako too have far more sense than his strong-willed, sporadic wife.

"Don't fly too high, make sure to stop every few hours and let the bison rest and eat, don't go off on any extra errands Korra, I know how you like to get involved but you can't fix everyone's pro-"

Korra silenced him with a hug that lifted the Airbending Master off his feet, "I'll miss you too Tenzin," she said heartily then proceeded to hug his wife and children. Tenzin bristled then sighed with defeat as he so often did with it come to the strong willed Avatar.

Eager to get away and finding she really didn't like goodbyes (she'd never really had to say them before) Jinora kissed her mother, hugged Meelo and raced up Mabui's back before she could change her mind and stay behind. Korra climbed into the saddle moments later, after sharing an affectionate kiss with Mako, and watched as the two men mounted Benni's back.

"Yip, yip," Korra said and it sounded like adventure to Jinora's excitable ears. They took off and she leaned desperately, laughing, crying waving, and holding eye contact with her teary eyed father. Too soon, almost in the blink of an eye, they were gone and Jinora took a deep, unsteady breath.

Korra looked over at the Airbender from her seat at the reins with bright glittering eyes, "You ready?" She called over the whipping wind.

"For what?" Jinora called back, perplexed, her tears drying quickly to her face and were momentarily forgotten. She could feel her carefully pinned hair coming unraveled and she reached up to pull the pins free. Her long hair caught the wind and it felt so good to feel its caress against her scalp that she couldn't help but smile in exhilaration.

"Your life to start," the Avatar called back with a wink and she dipped Mabui into a sudden, deep, and wild dive that sent both women screeching in exuberant joy.

Bolin and Mako watched them go from their perch on Benni's smaller back, situated precariously among the tethered down luggage. Mako glanced at his younger brother's shinning face as the Earthbender held the reins tightly in his hands.

"Don't _even _think about it." Mako hissed and Bolin deflated.

"I knew ridding with you was going to be boring."

* * *

They stopped several hours later, half way to Warsu, to water the bison and stretch their legs. As soon as they landed Bolin launched himself form Benni's back and splayed on the grass. Jinora and Korra dismounted in a burst of Aribending prowess, laughing.

"Hello Earth, I missed you, did you miss me?" Bolin cooed at a particularly green patch of grass. Mako shook his head in disgust as he placed his hands on his back and stretched with a groan. Korra and Jinora giggled while the indifferent bison ambled grumblingly to the little stream that trickled from the nearby mountains into the forest nestled in the valley below.

Jinora followed the large creatures and scratched Mabui affectionately behind the ear while the bison drank eagerly from the cool crisp waters. She'd only been given Mabui two years ago, which was historically abnormal for an Airbender. In the old days, before the Fire Nation had destroyed all the Airbending temples, an Airbender would receive their sky bison when they started their training, but since there were not many of the creatures left Jinora had waited a long time for hers to be born. Mabui grumbled and nuzzled her, dripping water all over her robes. Jinora just rolled her eyes affectionately and returned the nuzzling.

Korra, in her own delicate and graceful manner, flopped to her knees beside them and dunked her head and shoulders in the water without further ado. She rose a second later and shook herself like a dog, causing Jinora to giggle behind a demure hand.

"My wife ladies and gentleman," Mako grumbled, walking warily toward the water's edge "The ten year old Avatar."

Dripping, Korra scowled and Waterbent all the liquid clinging to her skin and clothes into her husband's alarmed face. Arms wide he looked down at himself indignantly while Korra laughed triumphantly.

Mako inhaled deeply, "Point proven."

"You love me," Korra teased with a toothy, innocent smile, and Waterbent her husband dry. With an uncharacteristically devious smirk, Mako lunged at Korra who evaded him just barely with a surprised giggle.

"Now who's acting like a child!?" Korra accused laughing again as Mako made a mad dash for the retreating form of his wife as they both took off down the slight hill.

Jinora smiled to herself, leaning against the welcoming heat of Mabui and feeling strangely melancholy. She hadn't spent much time in the company of men other than her father, two younger brothers, Mako and Bolin –she didn't think any of these counted. When she was younger she'd had a small crush on Bolin but that had died out (thankfully, because she hadn't been able to form coherent sentences in his presence which Meelo had found endlessly entertaining) at around thirteen. Looking up at the clear blue sky Jinora imagined the arms of some unknown man wrapped around her, his lips on hers, on her neck, hands meandering hesitantly over her hidden curves-

Mako and Korra chose that moment to return stumbling up the small slope and Jinora blushed furiously in embarrassment. What was wrong with her? She wasn't one to day dream at all let alone about _men_, to which she had minimal if any experience with romantically. Composing herself she finally got a good look Korra's face and froze. Korra was no longer laughing and her normally dusky skin was pale and sickly looking, she looked like someone had hit her in the gut. Jinora swallowed her heart skipping a beat.

"Wh-what is it?"She managed her voice slight and fearful. She'd never seen Korra like this, it was incredibly alarming.

Mako, looking equally as disturbed and holding onto Korra for support, grimaced; it was Korra who answered a few tense seconds later. Even before she spoke a sick sense of trepidation had descended on Jinora's bright sunny day and she trembled as icy tendrils dripped down her spine.

"Six of them, we found them at the base of the hill….they're all dead."

* * *

Bolin gagged and stepped back hastily, Jinora was too astounded to really react properly, standing wide-eyed with her hands gripped firmly together in front of her. She'd never seen a dead body before, let alone six of them at once. And these bodies were not just _dead_; they appeared to have been brutally assaulted and were nearly drained of blood like dried fruit skins. A tiny separate voice in the back of her mind observed that she'd only been away from home for six hours and things had already gone horribly wrong.

The monks, and her father through them, taught reverence for all life. She'd never had an ounce of meat in her entire existence or ever intentionally harmed another living thing (a few accidental insect murders seemed utterly inconsequential). Her mind couldn't comprehend the horror before her, it coiled in on it's self over and over again trying to understand how someone could do anything so horrible. She wasn't sure how she knew these people hadn't been attacked by some sort of animal, but she just _knew_.

She didn't realize she was kneeling, her legs having given out, shaking like a leaf in the wind till Korra pulled her away with firm, insistent hands. She could hardly breathe, and her mouth tasted of death. Three of the bodies were small, obviously having belonged to children.

"Jinora it will be alright, shh now, just breathe," Korra murmured and Jinora followed the sound of her voice back to sanity. Feeling crept backing achingly into her limbs, her stomach heaved alarmingly and she only barely managed not to vomit.

Breathing slowly became easier and she opened eyes that she hadn't realized were closed to find Korra's azure gaze boring into her intensely, her expression unfathomable.

"Wh-what happened to them Korra?" Jinora croaked. Mako and Bolin were standing before them, facing the scene of horror and effectively blocking the bodies from her sight, the darkness of death loomed over the glade. The once beautifully clear day seemed abrasive and wrong. How could the sky be so blue, the air so sweet and the birds so cheerful when such awful things existed not thirty feet away?

"I don't know Jinora… I don't know."

"They looked wrong Korra, not just dead but _wrong_. Like they had been… been," she searched hazily for the right word.

"Drained," Korra finished for her, her face was hard and Jinora could sense the Avatar State near at hand, something that the other woman was struggling to control. The power radiated through Korra's hands that rested heavily on Jinora's shoulders, it gave her strength and her tremors lessened.

"Y-yes, but it was a spir-spirtual thing as well," Jinora murmured brokenly, her tongue felt thick and dry in her mouth.

"Death, especially like that, is a horrible, spiritually, rending act Jinora," Korra conceded patiently.

Jinora rose to her feet shaking her head and feeling the spiritual currents around her, sensing the overwhelming wrongness of it, "It's more than that Korra, reach out, you'll feel it too!"

Frowning, Korra hesitated, reading the Airbenders avidly pallid face before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. It only took a moment for Korra to fall back on her bottom with a gasp, her eyes wavering between the consuming blue of the Avatar State.

Mako was instantly at her side, "What is it Korra?!"

Korra turned her face into Mako's chest struggling for breath and Bolin stepped forward to wrap a comforting arm around Jinora's shoulders.

"M-Mako they weren't just drained of their blood; something drained their _bending_ as well, their very _spirits._"

Silence greeted this gasping declaration; Jinora knew what they were thinking about. It was like Amon all over again but a thousand times worse.

"What could have done that?" Mako asked the question on all their minds.

Korra looked at him, completely at a loss, then met Jinora's wide eyes, "I have no idea, but whatever it was… it was very powerful, I can feel its presence like a _wound_."

"We need to get out of here," Bolin declared, turning Jinora toward the waiting bison above them.

Mako helped Korra to her feet and she leaned against him gratefully as he kissed her brow.

"We can't just leave them like that!" Jinora cried, pressing against the steely prison of Bolin's arms. She wanted more than anything to get away as fast as her feet could carry her, but they couldn't just leave those decimated, tormented bodies lying there; they're spirits, wherever they were now, deserved some measure of peace and respect.

"She's right," Korra said weakly turning to Mako, "Help me?"

Mako took a deep breath, "Of course. Bolin, take Jinora up the hill, if you see anything you take off, you understand?"His voice was deadly serious.

Bolin nodded and Jinora was barreled away by strong, insistent arms she had no hope of escaping before she could even think to protest.

* * *

They waited for what felt like years in Mabui's comfortingly familiar saddle, Bolin's arms remained around her protectively –a fact which would have mortally embarrassed her in any other situation. She kept waiting for some dark hideous creature to climb out of the mountain, or drop down from the sky.

"They _suffered_ Bolin," she murmured into his shoulder. The normally jovial man looked deeply shaken and ran a large hand affectionately over the back of her head. It was a jarringly intimate gesture but in her frayed emotional state she hardly noticed –her fourteen year old self would have _killed_ for this moment.

"Try not to think about it too much. We'll get to Warsu and Korra will sort it all out, alright?" He said his eyes on the hill across from them, obviously anxious of his brother and friend to return. Beneath her his tightly roped muscles were jumping with tension.

Jinora nodded slightly and bit her lip, "Maybe I should have stayed… at the Temple… I don't think I'm cut out for a life like… like _that_." She shuddered and looked off down the hill as well, praying they would return soon.

Bolin's eyes softened and he took her hand gently, "Come on Jinora, the world certainly isn't full of only death and violence; it's got plenty of beauty, excitement, fun and…. Love." He said this last bit blushing but Jinora wasn't look at him. She was looking the opposite direction, where she knew the Earth Capital lay.

"I hope your right Bolin…" she said softly and he gave her his best smile when she turned to look at him, she returned it hesitantly, suddenly not sure how to form her lips.

"Stick with me kid, I'll show you what it's all about." He said with humor and optimism that sounded forced, but sincere. Her smile gained a little strength.

* * *

When Korra and Mako finally returned, looking ragged and worn –physically and spiritually- they left immediately and no one spoke for a long time. Eventually Korra left Mako's side at the reins –Bolin flew Benni alone close behind them, understanding a married couple's need for physical comfort- and joined Jinora where she sat huddled at the back of Mabui's saddle. This morning, with all its optimism and excitement, seemed a life time away. She could hardly believe the events were only a few mere hours apart, not months or years.

Korra didn't speak immediately, just sat there as a warm comforting body, knees drawn up with her arms looped loosely around her knees. Her presence seemed to draw some of the mortal chill out of JInora's bones and her tense muscles loosened marginally.

"I'll find out what happened to those people Jinora, I promise." Korra said at last, quiet enough that the wind wouldn't snatch it up and carry it to other ears. This moment was just for the two of them.

As Jinora had grown older she'd also grown closer to Korra; they sometimes seemed to be of entirely different species but at the same time something between them resonated. Korra was the big sister she had never had, and Jinora looked up to her _almost_ as much as her own father. Where her father was the spiritual master, the careful teacher of patience and practice, Korra had always taken it upon herself to remind Jinora that there was adventure and lessons to be had in the spontaneous and unknown. Her father grounded her and Korra set her free, it was the balance between the two that Jinora felt she still needed to master.

The young Airbender nodded slowly in response, a hard edge in her normally soft brown eyes as they looked off toward the dusky horizon. She'd pulled her hair back loosely at the nape of her neck and had gathered her cloak tightly about her as if she might block out the whole world, or maybe contain her pain and inexplicable sorrow. Another feeling bubbled, one she wasn't accustomed to feeling, anger (somewhat a familiar occurrence with Ikki around) but she also felt something that was very akin to _hatred, _an entirely foreign presence inside her. The emotion disturbed her; forgiveness and compassion was another of the monk's teachings and the shadowy mantle the emotion left on her spirit disconcerted her. Respect for _all _life; even those who took it away from others. Her grandfather, the previous Avatar, was a shining example of that teaching.

"I'm going to help you," Jinora said firmly, hardly aware she was speaking out loud as the sun began to set against the snow topped mountains –the sky looked like spilled blood on a silvery canvas to her freshly injured mind- and the gently glittering city of Warsu blossomed in the hills below them like a beacon of hope. Korra glanced at her sideways and a mysterious smirk, one that held the dark promise of vengeance, quirked at the corner of her full mouth.

"I was hoping you would say that."

Vengence was another new concept to Jinora but she found, in that moment, she didn't abhor the idea the way she'd thought she might, the way she had been taught to. Only a day away from home and her entire world had been turned upside down, the urge to run home and hide behind her mother's skirts was stronger than she would ever admit. She gritted her teeth, she wouldn't back down now, her father had said her destiny lay outside the temple, maybe this was the path she'd been destined to take.

Foreboding lingered within Jinora as the bison began their steady decent to the waiting city below, and when she closed her eyes briefly in the rushing wind, the images of the decimated bodies seemed permanently burned on her retina.

* * *

They ate dinner that night quietly at the Blind Badger Inn, not talking much. The common room was bustling with people, a warm fire and bright lanterns and humming electrical lights. There were gaggles of vacationing families and groups of laughing young men and women, but the darkness of the day lingered about their party like a cloud. People looked at them with sliding eyes, skipping over them uneasily. The tension did ease as the night progressed however, and as they filled their bellies with delicious warm food they even managed to have a few normal conversations.

For her part Jinora was trying very hard not to feel overwhelmed. Surrounded by all the new sights, sounds and smells she braced herself between Bolin and Korra for support. Mead, beer and other alien types of 'adult' beverages poured like water, and at least half the room was intoxicated. To say it was a culture shock was something of an understatement.

They found their rooms quickly after their meal and didn't spend much time mincing words. They were all tired and needed rest.

Before Jinora could slide into her room, Mako and Korra in the suite across from her and Bolin next door, the older Earthbender gently caught her arm in his rough hand. Surprised, she jumped in alarm, before catching his eye and settling into his careful grasp; she was jumpy, another sensation she was unfamiliar with.

"If you need to talk, or you can't sleep, I'm just next door, alright?" Bolin said with affectionate sincerity, his eyes mysteriously hazy in the low electrical lights.

Jinora felt herself blush; hand on her door, "I will Bolin, thank you." She managed.

He nodded, pausing for a moment, a look of indecision on his face before shaking his head ruefully and slipping inside his own room with a parting smile. Jinora stood there for a moment, feeling off kilter, before shaking her own head and focusing her thoughts once more on slipping into her night-clothes and burying herself beneath warm covers. She didn't know if she would be able to find sleep after the day's events, but she wanted to bundle herself up and try to banish the chill pulsing inside her.

* * *

Mako woke and instantly knew it was still several hours before dawn –the curse of being a Firebender. Agitated he rolled over, seeking familiar warmth on the opposite side of the bed only to find cold empty sheets. He sat up with alarm, blinking in bleary confusion around the unfamiliar room. It took him a few moments to remember; Warsu, trip to Ba Sing Se, Blind Badger Inn, Korra, dead people sucked dry. He sighed deeply and stretched awkwardly in the strange bed, grabbed a nearby robe, and went in search of his wayward wife.

Being married to the Avatar included his fair share of sleepless nights –sometimes to his advantage; he would be the first to admit- and it had always been his duty to calm the storm. To the rest of the world Avatar Korra was the strong unmoving face of balance and justice, to Mako she was simply a woman who needed what anyone else did in tough or stressful situations; love, understanding and comfort. He'd known from the first that loving Korra wasn't going to be easy, and in part that had been why it had taken him so long to come to terms with it. There were times he still felt overwhelmed and somewhat neglected; theirs wasn't a perfect marriage, but it was filled with love, and that had always been enough.

They hadn't talked much before turning in. Korra was withdrawn and Mako was familiar enough with her moods to know he just needed to wait her out, that she would talk to him when she was ready. The horror they had witnessed that day weighed heavily on each of them, especially Jinora, but Korra had her own inner struggle he knew. It was in her nature to help, to fix, to follow a trail to its bitter end, whether because she was the Avatar or because of her own essential being he didn't know. He did know that it was hard for her to do nothing in the face of injustice and that she was itching for action, only Jinora's presence and her promise to Tenzin kept her at bay.

Thye'd spoken to the authorities immediately upon their arrival; giving a description of the bodies and their location, and now the matter was in the hands of others, something Korra had never been very comfortable with. Mako had held her beneath the foreign sheets of their rented bed, willing himself to stay awake until he was sure she was asleep; she'd clutched his hand like she thought he might disappear on her. Now he wondered if she'd ever gone to sleep at all.

He didn't have to look far for her. He found her standing stiffly in the balcony of the adjoining sitting room, suffused in moonlight. He stared transfixed, he couldn't help it, she was just that beautiful to him. There were times, even after all the years that he'd known her, all the nights he'd spent studying and paying homage to her perfect body, that she still knocked the wind out of him. She wore a simple robe similar to his, in light green, one sleeve having slipped down her well-toned arm to reveal her slim shoulder. The cloth was semi-transparent and silhouetted her figure enticingly. Her hair was a tumbled, chaotic mess down her back and both her hands were braced tensely on either side of the ledge. Something was obviously bothering her.

"How long do you plan on standing there staring at me?" She asked suddenly, causing him to jump in alarm and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly; more embarrassed by his reaction then her chastisement.

"I was worried so I came after you." He admitted, crossing the room to stand a little behind her, slightly wary of her. Korra's moods could be difficult to predict at times. The urge to touch her was strong, however.

"I'm sorry," she muttered softly, "I didn't mean to wake you. I couldn't sleep." Her tone was hard to decipher and he frowned before giving in and stepping forward, wrapping his arms around her waist, letting his chin rest lightly atop her head. She liked it when they stood like this, he knew, it made her feel safe, even if she would never admit it. The passing decade hadn't diminished her formidable pride but it had strengthened her kindness and their love.

Beneath them, three stories below, Warsu spread out around them like the roots of a great tree. Electric lights hummed and despite the obviously late hour, the city was vibrantly alive; Satomobiles sped by, laughter, music and shouting permeated the slightly polluted air. He knew Korra's eyes were on the moon however, taking comfort in its fullness as only a Waterbender could. He felt the lunar power humming through her body, adding it's influence and need to her blood; he could feel her heart hammering through her back. It was incredibly arousing and he didn't even try to mask his physical reaction to her.

Mako mused sometimes how their relationship would have been viewed a little less than a hundred years ago. A Firebender and Waterbender (she was also the Avatar of course, but that made the situation even more ironic) married. They were so different at times that it drove them both crazy, but Mako had come to terms with the fact that was what made them so perfect for one another. He squeezed her gently; heart full of her, grateful she was there, that she was _his_.

"Tell me," he said softly, his thumbs rubbing insistent circles into the skin of her taunt belly through the flimsy fabric of her robe. Her skin was feverish –because of the moon- through her robe and she smelled like crisp ocean air and warm summer trees.

"I can't… It's just a feeling. A feeling I don't like. Not just because of those poor people, but what I felt when I reached out to the spirit world. I can't explain it Mako. It just felt _off_." Her voice was a whisper and her hands came to wrap around his. In contradiction to her desperate, alarming words, she pressed herself firmly into his back; her backside teasing his diminishing erection in a way she knew drove him crazy. She turned her head to look up at him, her huge eyes hypnotizing and seductive. The look on her face sent a jolt through him that went straight to his groin; he knew what that look meant.

"Distract me?" She begged huskily, suddenly a living flame in his arms as she turned swiftly in his embrace, plastering her body flush against his. He wanted to protest, knew that he should, but he was powerless against her–he always had been. Her mouth danced against his with practiced perfection, sucking and nipping until he was pressing her roughly against the balcony ledge. Her legs wrapped firmly around his hips, drawing her to him like a ship to shore; he gripped her backside with straining fingers before shifting to push her robe higher up her thighs, shivering at the smooth flawlessness of her skin. She pushed the top of his robe back so it hung loosely from his elbows, exposing most of his torso to her ravenous gaze. Her mouth descended to kiss a hot wet trail across his chest, hands thrusting into his hair and trailing sensually down his back as he shuddered helplessly.

His heart was a stuttering drum beat against her persistent lips, his breath quickened measurably and just like that he was lost completely. He leaned his head back, moaning softly and closed his eyes –the moon bright enough to filter gently through his eyelids-, a slave to her ministrations. Instinctively he ground the hard evidence of his yearning against the barely concealed folds of hers, the liquid heat of her making his knees weak. She growled against his chest and tugged at his hair until their lips met again in a violent foray of teeth and tongues. She pulled back abruptly, her eyes dark like deep ocean waters.

"Take me to bed." She said, voice sultry and authoritative. It was a command, not a request, and one he was happy to comply with.

He lifted her easily; her legs squeezing him tightly, her lips latching gently to his ear, teasing him in ways she knew drove him wild. Growling deep in his throat he navigated his way quickly and instinctually through the sitting room. They disappeared into their bedroom and Korra made him forget he'd ever woken up alone.

* * *

One story above where the Avatar and her husband had been unabashedly disrobing each other, Jinora stood obliviously on another balcony. She wore her plain, modest, night-gown and a light crimson robe that fluttered in a catching breeze, her hair was a long dark curtain that flowed and shown in the moonlight. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, devouring the air itself. Things felt so _different _here; the air was heavy with smoke, gas, the scent of flowers, food, and human waste all wonderfully and horribly intermingled. It was disorienting and exhilarating all at once, leaving her feeling pleasantly dizzy. She couldn't fight the smile that danced over her lips like candied sweetness; she leaned over the balcony edge and watched the people pass below.

In the radiant streets below women wore fashions she didn't recognize –a lot of open back shirts and short, revealing skirts- strutted by, many of them arm in arm with smartly dressed men in varying stages of inebriation. Everyone was smiling and laughing, and she felt a bang of jealousy. She'd never really had friends before, or gone out to a party that didn't involve her parents watching her like a hawk and a bunch of stuffy boring diplomats.

She could remember one time, however, when she was about fourteen, when a handsome boy from the Earthkingdom had asked her to dance at a fancy delegation party. She'd been wearing her formal Airbending attire, which while she felt comfortable and like herself, she had been painfully aware she didn't look like the other girls in their expensive finery. Korra never really dressed up –always wearing formal Water Tribe garments- so that always made her feel better because the Avatar was so beautiful and vibrant no matter what she wore. Jinora could remember how disapproving her father had looked as the boy held his hand out to her in an invitation, but her mother had been so pleased she nearly screamed her acceptance.

She would never forget the way her heart had pounded wildly in her chest and how the expansive room suddenly didn't have enough air. His hand had been a branding iron on her waist and the feeling of his hand in hers had felt deliciously forbidden. She didn't remember much of what he look liked now, only those striking, vibrant green eyes and how they seemed to twinkle with barely controlled mischief. After the dance she didn't see him for the rest of the evening and she'd been far too shy to ask anyone who he was. She didn't even know his name.

Grating laughter brought her back to the present and she watched a gaggle of drunken teenage girls meander their way directly through the recently paved road. For a wild moment Jinora imagined joining them, running down there and making friends. The moment passed and reality settled in; she would never fit in with girls like that, besides she had a duty, she didn't have time for… _fun_. Especially after what she had witnessed earlier that day; she shook her head, banishing the unwelcome thoughts.

With a resigned sigh she slipped back into her bedroom, and shuffled beneath the chilled covers of her bed. She left the balcony doors open, the occasional breeze reminded her of home. It didn't take long for her to fall into a fitful sleep filled with dark shadows and a man with blood-red eyes.

* * *

Sorry this took me so long, a few things got in the way. I had almost finished it, then accidently deleted it (don't ask) and that was pretty disheartening. Then work decided to actually be busy so that's been holding up my creative juices (how dare it!).

On the bright side I like this version much better and I hope some of you do as well.

In need of coffee or caffeine injection,

B

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